St Ives: The Art of Deception
Mystery Walks in Cornwall - Explore Cornish Towns/Villages as an Outdoor Escape Room

St Ives - The Art of Deception

Explore St Ives as a self-guided outdoor escape room. Use the app to solve puzzles and unlock the directions of a walking route to follow the trail of an art thief in this scenic mystery walk around St Ives.

The Story

A priceless Newlyn School painting has been stolen from a local gallery and replaced with a clever forgery. Can you crack the code to find the hidden masterpiece and uncover the truth behind the art of deception? Solve puzzles and riddles, and enjoy the stunning views of the coast.

Stats

  • Distance: 2.9 miles/4.7 km
  • Approximate duration: 2.5 - 3.5 hours
  • Steepness grade: Moderate
  • Dogs: considerations
  • Access for wheels: no

Considerations

  • Close to the end of the route, there are gardens which close at dusk. In the unlikely event that you're ending the walk after dusk, use the backup photo under Help if the gates are closed.

Gradients

There's a short, fairly gentle climb on the road near the beginning. A little later there's a slightly steeper short climb on the road. There's one more short climb on the coast path (with steps). In a churchyard, one of the downhill paths is moderately steep (but surfaced with tarmac).

Get the app

A family doing a mystery walk
The mystery walks are an outdoor escape room combined with a mystery tour. They are done using a mobile app.
Phone showing walk directions page in the iWalk Cornwall app
For each one, there is a story with an overall mystery to solve. To do this, you solve puzzles to unlock each direction of a walking route.
Walking along a path
Each step of the way there are detailed walking directions and live map showing where you're headed to next.
Solving a puzzle
The puzzles also gradually build up a set clues to solve the overall mystery when the end of the walk is reached.
Phone showing facts section in iWalk Cornwall app
The puzzles are designed for adults although children may enjoy helping to spot clues and helping to solve some of the easier ones.
Couple solving a puzzle
Every puzzle has a ladder of hints starting from harder and progressing to very easy to cater for a range of aptitudes.
Solving clue overlooking the sea
A mystery typically takes around 3 hours to complete. It's not a race so you can take your time, take photos, stop for refreshments etc. and have a nice day out.
A family
The price (per group) is £14.99. It can be done all in one day or split over two.
Puzzle by a Celtic church
Once a mystery has been downloaded, it runs completely offline using GPS with no need for a phone signal or data/internet connection (it's Cornwall-proof).
Phone showing iWalk Cornwall in the App Store
Download the app from the Apple Store or Google Play and then browse/purchase the mysteries using that.